Inner Life through Mythology

Inner life through Mythology

Psychologist Uses Legends of Past to Help People Better Understand Themselves

by Ken Miller / Santa Maria Times Lifestyle Editor

Jonathan Young thinks "Rapunzel" is one of the greatest tales of all time.

Why?

Because it, along with dozens of other classic fables and myths, holds keys
to finding things out about ourselves that we otherwise would not have
known, he claims.

It's one of many stories set in a dark forest, he said. It is, in part,
about those difficult times of
feeling lost or overwhelmed, and gives us some ideas on how to get through
those difficult times. The fact it is one of the most enchanting and
mysterious of the many fairy tales can be seen psychologically, as having
to do with our own interest in the unconscious and those parts of ourselves
we don't entirely understand.

Young, a psychologist and archivist for the late mythologist Joseph
Campbell, will bring that and many other such insights with him to an
upcoming presentation at Santa Maria's Unity Chapel.

Young has been spreading his message all over the country. He has spoken at
Harvard, Notre Dame and, this coming October, at Cal Lutheran in Thousand
Oaks. His consulting group, The Center for Story and Symbol, is based in
Santa Barbara.

Legend, folklore and fairy tales all share the initiatory lore, which is
the core of mythological
wisdom, he said. These stories were developed as road maps to life's
journeys, dealing with major life transitions and other profound times of
turmoil and challenge in life, where we need all the help we can get.

Even though he speaks at many churches, he said his message is not
specifically biblical, but certainly to gain some inspiration for our
spiritual life. I believe these stories tell us something about the meaning
of life, in ways that we are not as familiar with.

Young picks not only from classics - Robin Hood, Holy Grail stories and the
many fables of Aesop - but from current pop culture, including Xena:
Warrior Princess, Star Trek and Star Wars.

Those are examples of the way culture is picking up on the popular
themes, Young said. ('Star
Wars' creator) George Lucas drew directly on Campbell's writings.

Campbell, the author of such books as Hero with A Thousand Faces, The Power
of Myth and the
four-volume work, The Masks of God, proved to be a major influence in
Young's life.

He met Campbell in 1981 during a speaking engagement Campbell had at the
Pacifica Graduate
Institute.

I had been very interested in the connection between psychology and
mythology, Young remembers. When I heard him in person for the first
time, there was a deepening of what I understood. Before that, I'd been
scholarly, and suddenly I had a deeply meaningful engagement with the
material. He showed me the radiance. I really got it from him.

Campbell died in 1987, but during the last five years of his life, Young
worked with him a great deal as his assistant.

After his death, his family decided his work would be archived, and
selected Young as the curator.

Young, a professor of psychology at Pacifica for 12 years, left four years
ago to "follow my bliss." He recently wrote a book of his own: SAGA - Best
New Writings on Mythology.

He now speaks about 100 times a year, which includes training for
psychologists, presentations at
museums and screenwriters' conferences and engagements at Carl Jung societies.

Campbell looked at symbols. He drew on the psychology of Carl Jung, Young
said. He saw stories as reflections of the inner life.

Whatever story he does, the ideas he expresses are personal and applied to
the search for personal meaning, the boundary between psychology and
religion for each person.

And, he added, people usually have a lot of fun at his talks.

We have a good time because the stories are delightful and fun, and the
spirit is playful, he said.
That's another thing about familiar stories: We don't have to do any
homework. We can look right at these tales and see our own lives reflected
in them. That's probably why they've survived.

The value of reflecting on a familiar wisdom tale, Young said, is that one
can look back at a life story or some other favorite story or scripture and
see some of the patterns.

The fact that 'Rapunzel' has a happy ending is another good point. We are
all seeking the way through difficulties and to a way that is fulfilling.